With just 15 weeks to renovate and update Hope College’s dining hall for the start of the school year, construction crews had to move swiftly.

The $4.5 million project started on Phelps Hall the day after commencement and wrapped up on Friday, Aug. 22.

Built in 1961 and renovated in 1980, Phelps Hall was becoming dated both in appearance and functionality and needed to be remodeled, said Bob Van Heukelom, Hope’s Food Service Director.

“I think we’ve got the best food in town and now we have a facility to match,” he said during a walk through of the new facility on Thursday.

With the renovation, a second set of doors were added to the north side of the building to accompany the original 1961 entrance and an entrance on the west side was closed off to create more dining room space and 50 additional seats.

Food serving stations were redesigned and more refrigerated storage was added, Van Heukelom said. Diners now have the choice of varying table configurations, including booths and high tops.

The goal was to create an attractive, modern and comfortable area for diners, Van Heukelom said.

Freshman Tommy Duncan, who had visited Phelps during football camp last summer, said the “old dining hall was nothing but carpet and bricks.”

This year about 2,501 students are on a meal plan.

During construction this summer, students and campus visitors ate in a makeshift tent in the parking lot of DeVos Fieldhouse. The temporary structure will be coming down in a few weeks, Van Heukelom said.